Time off, project planning and Carole Cadwalladr

I'm not working today. I didn't want to be off; not that I particularly want to be working either; however, we all want to feel in charge of our own schedule. When you work for someone else, you lose some of that control.

So, I'm sitting in a local coffee shop ruminating on life, the upcoming election and documentary projects. If I'm honest unless something is actively demanding my attention, documentary projects are swirling around somewhere - think of them as my brain's screensaver.

There's a guy at the next table drawing what seems to be a graphic novel on his iPad. I want to ask him about it, and I mentally try to rephrase, I happened to be looking over your shoulder, and I saw .., sounds creepy. Oh, is that a graphic novel? No. Maybe I should impress him with my newly Googled knowledge, Excuse me, did you know Superman's middle name is Joseph?

At the next table over, is a woman with a laptop and a notepad typing furiously. This is not the typing of a woman who's chatting on Facebook, she's typing with intent. I want her to be an investigative journalist working on an expose of a global tech giant, in a Carole Cadwalladr style.

On days like this, I inevitably end up planning. I'm a mind-mapper and a list writer. I have dozens of mind maps going back years. Many of them are remarkably similar. Which, if you weren't such a trusting soul, might undermine your faith in my authority on this subject. But it does work. Seeing the possibilities on one page, at one time, seems to work for me.

Carole has just gone outside, clutching her phone to her ear. This is not a conversation that should be overheard; maybe it's a source.

Inspiration is all very well, but it's worth nothing unless you turn those great ideas into action.

So from the mind map, I'll pick two or three themes that could become projects. It's essential, at this point, that you are realistic. There is no point including a project into Russian arms sales in Ukraine when you live in London, with a full-time job and a cat to feed.

List your projects and here's the important part, write the next steps. 'Next steps' is a bit of a productivity buzz phrase, but it perfectly encapsulates what's required. Unless you can identify what you could do next and see yourself completing that step, your project is just a fantasy. Trust me; I have been down this road many times. I genuinely mind mapped documenting a small town in Oregon. I researched flights, Air B&Bs. That one would work, but it's a little far from downtown. I had no idea how I was going to support myself or what my wife, with a career of her own, was going to do during this time. That's several hours, my employer at the time, won't get back! Unless you can see yourself completing the next steps in the next two weeks, move down the bus, look at another project.

Carole has gone to the bathroom. If I weren't sitting in a busy coffee shop - and I was a lot braver - I could sneak a look at her laptop and settle this mystery once and for all.

Whatever method you use to list your to-do's - I use a combination of Todoist and Field Notes - make a list, add dates against each item and hold yourself to those dates. It may all seem unnecessarily pedestrian, but if you're anything like me, it's necessary.

I'll write more about to-do lists some other time. But for now, get planning.

Let's be careful out there.